ISSUE 48/DEC2022 - Flipbook - Page 3
Issue 48
Editor’s note
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Collating a list like
this will always be
a challenge. And
our compilation
is not exhaustive.
However, join
us in proudly
saluting these
everyday heroes
who are inspiring
and empowering
others today and
for posterity.
It has been a long time since the 1900 ‘War
of the Golden Stool’ which was led by the
fearless Warrior Queen Yaa Asantewaa, who
took to battle against British oppression in
Ghana. A long time since Nzinga Ana de
Sousa Mbande fought off the Portuguese
invaders. A long time since Ruth First,
Winnie Mandela, Albertina Sisulu and many
more risked and some even lost their lives
fighting the apartheid regime in South
Africa. A long time since the brave Julia
Chikamoneka fought for Zambia’s political
and economic freedom, sometimes in very
unconventional ways. And indeed, a long
time since the 1995 Beijing Declaration,
which purportedly ushered in a new era of
hope for gender equality, women’s rights,
and the empowerment of women in all
aspects of human endeavours.
But fast-forward to 2023 — a year that
pushes the UN SDG5 deadline to just 7 years
away — so much remains to be done to
meet this UN Global Goal, whose aim is to
achieve gender equality by ending all forms
of discrimination, violence and any harmful
practices against women and girls.
And many moons on, what our brave and
pioneering heroes of yesteryear fought
for, is still a battle we are contending with
by and large, albeit some slim strides have
been made. And even where the needle has
slightly moved, many authoritative reports
now indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic
has swung that dial back.
One report by the World Economic Forum
predicts that it will now take 135 years to
bridge the gender gap and overcome all the
ills that it precipitates.
Sadly, this means that ours and the next
generation — just like the Yaa Asantewa’s
generation before — will also not see a
better and equal world for women in our
lifetime. Let that sink in.
Something has got to be done. And that is
exactly what the women we feature in this
Special Edition, are doing: creating impact
in different fields that matter; leading from
the front to yield tangible change; using
their influence and positions to oil engines
of positive change, creating and occupying
spaces that bring others along; walking
the talk in a world where African women
routinely just end up with being given
‘promissory notes’ of support, or with token
positions of power.
We therefore proudly salute these
exceptional everyday heroes who are
continually fighting our corner, inspiring
and empowering others, be it at the rural
grassroots level or in corporate boardrooms;
in university classrooms or UN corridors; or
institutions which are intentionally investing
in the financial, economic and political
empowerment of women.
However, collating a list like this will always
be a challenge. And more importantly, on
a continent (and its Diaspora) brimming
with audacious aspirational women with
incredible stories of success, ambition,
resilience and much more — (across the
entire spectrum, be it business, leadership,
the arts cultural or activism), the compilation
was never going to be exhaustive.
For this edition, we made a shift and
simplified our selection criteria. The New
African Woman Magazine Most Influential
Women of the Year & Everyday Heroes, were
nominated and voted for by their industry
peers.
Welcome to this Special Issue. And as we
look forward to giving you our usual fullfledged New African Woman which returns
in March 2023, we remain committed to our
mantra:
To Inspire, than Impose; Expertly Advise,
than Dictate; Dignify our Diverse Beauty,
than Cheapen it!
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Dec 2022 New African Woman
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